Gaming device and method for playing an intersecting symbol game

ABSTRACT

In a gaming apparatus, a player places a wager and plays a game. A gaming controller determines an outcome for the game and controls a display to represent the game outcome. If the game outcome is a winning game outcome, the display displays symbols from a first set of symbols, such as musical notes and symbols from a set of award symbols, such as credit symbols, multiplier symbols, etc. The display depicts movement of the musical notes and/or award symbols to create intersections between the musical notes and award symbols, with the intersections representing awards earned by the player for the game outcome.

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/260,808, filed Nov. 12, 2009, the contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to gaming systems and devices and in particular to gaming systems providing games with intersecting symbols.

BACKGROUND

Gaming devices are well known in the art and a large variety of gaming devices have been developed. In general, gaming devices allow users or players to play a game. In many casino-type gaming devices, the outcome of the game depends, at least in part, on a randomly generated event. For example, a gaming device may use a random number generator to generate a random or pseudo-random number (hereinafter, both types are referred to as a “random number”).

The random number can be used to determine a game outcome. For example, the random number may then be compared to a predefined table to determine a corresponding outcome of the event. If the random number falls within a certain range of numbers on the table, the player may win the corresponding predefined prize. The table may also contain display information that allows the gaming device to generate a display that corresponds to the outcome of the game. The gaming device may present the outcome of the game on a large variety of display devices, such as mechanical spinning reels or video screens.

Some gaming devices award bonus prizes in addition to prizes that are awarded in a primary game. Of course, the prize in the primary game may simply be the opportunity to play the bonus game. A bonus prize is generally defined as a prize in addition to the prize obtained from the primary game and that is awarded to the player when a predefined event occurs. An example of a bonus game can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,932 to Adams. Adams discloses a primary game having three spinning game reels and a bonus game having a bonus display with one spinning wheel. The spinning wheel is divided into multiple sections, and each section has a symbol representing a prize. When predetermined indicia are displayed on the spinning game reels of the primary game, the wheel of the bonus display spins and stops. The bonus prize is displayed as the symbol on the wheel being pointed to by a pointer. The bonus prize is awarded in addition to any prizes awarded in the primary game. Another bonus game is disclosed in Baerlocher et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,863). Baerlocher et al. discloses a slot machine with a bonus award display. The bonus award display has a bonus wheel and a mechanical, movable pointer.

In other bonus game systems, bonus awards may be provided as a multiplier which multiplies the winnings of the primary game by an amount determined in the bonus game.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Advantages

The various embodiments of the present invention may, but do not necessarily, achieve one or more of the following advantages:

provide a highly attractive and entertaining device for conducting games;

provide a highly attractive and entertaining bonus game display;

the ability to attract more patrons to play a game;

the ability to encourage players to play longer on a gaming apparatus;

provide a display that allows a player to predict an imminent game outcome, thereby building a player's excitement and level of interactivity;

provide an additional element of anticipation and excitement for players; and

provide a game with an integrated musical theme.

These and other advantages may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification, claims, and/or abstract.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ONE OR MORE EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a gaming device comprising a game controller and a game display. The gaming device allows a player to place a wager and to play a game. The game controller may determine a game outcome and control the game display to display an arrangement of symbols on the game display that represents the game outcome. The arrangement of symbols may include one or more symbols from a first symbol set and one or more symbols from a second symbol set. If the game outcome is a winning outcome, the symbols may be moved on the game display to create one or more winning intersections between symbols of the first symbol set and symbols of the second symbol set, the winning intersection representing the winning outcome. An award represented by the winning intersection may be allocated to the player.

The symbols of the first set may move in a direction linearly independent to a direction of movement of symbols of the second set. The symbols of the first set may be controlled to move in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of symbols of the second set. A winning intersection may be dependent on characteristics of the first set symbol and/or characteristics of the second set symbol. For example, a winning intersection may occur where the first set symbol and the second symbol are matching colors.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for playing a game of a gaming device. The method may comprise displaying at least one first symbol from a first symbol set on a game board and displaying at least one second symbol from a second symbol set on the game board. The at least one first symbol and the at least one second symbol may be moved to create an intersection between the at least one first symbol and the at least one second symbol. An award represented by the intersection may be allocated to a player of the game.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a gaming apparatus comprising means for allowing a player to place a wager and play a game and means for randomly determining a game outcome. If the game outcome is a winning outcome, the winning outcome may be represented by means for displaying an intersection of one or more first symbols and one or more second symbols. There may also be provided means for awarding a prize to the player that correlates to the winning game outcome.

The above description sets forth, rather broadly, a summary of one embodiment of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. Some of the embodiments of the present invention may not include all of the features or characteristics listed in the above summary. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and will form the subject matter of claims. In this respect, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is substantially a schematic view of a network of gaming devices;

FIG. 2 is substantially a schematic view of a gaming device including a bonus game display;

FIG. 3 substantially depicts a bonus game display in accordance with one embodiment of the invention at an initial state;

FIG. 4 substantially depicts a method for playing a bonus game;

FIG. 5 substantially depicts the bonus game display of FIG. 3 during play of the game play section;

FIG. 6 substantially depicts the bonus game display of FIG. 5 after a symbol intersection has occurred;

FIG. 7 substantially depicts a symbol intersection showing intersection boundaries of the intersecting symbols; and

FIG. 8 substantially depicts an embodiment of a gaming device with a bonus game display.

DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention comprises a gaming device for a gaming system. As shown in FIG. 1, a gaming system 10 comprises at least one gaming device 12 that is configured to allow players to places wagers and play a game. Multiple gaming devices 12 may be networked within an establishment or within several establishments as is known in the art. An example of a gaming device 12, shown in more detail in FIG. 2, includes a coin slot 11 for receiving wagers, such as coins or tokens, and a payout slot 13 through which winnings may be paid. A person skilled in the art will readily understand that the gaming device 12 is illustrative only and that many variants may be made. For example, the gaming device 12 may be configured to receive bills, casino tokens, credit cards or many other forms of payment. Similarly, winnings may be paid by tokens, tickets, credit or through other facilities of the gaming establishment.

A game display 15 displays a game outcome. The game display may include mechanical spinning reels, video reels, a poker card display or any other suitable game display apparent to the person skilled in the art. Additional displays 14 may display further game information, such as a progressive jackpot total. The game device 12 may also include a bonus game display 16 that may allow the player to play a bonus game or to receive bonus game information such as a bonus game outcome. The bonus game display 16 may be a display specifically configured for a particular bonus game. Alternatively the bonus game display may be a generic game display that can be configured by a game server using known server based game techniques. Details of bonus games that can be played using the bonus game display 16 will be described in greater detail below.

If server based gaming techniques are to be used, the gaming devices 12 may be operatively associated with a server 20, which may include components such as a processor 21, memory 22 and random number generator 23. While the random number generator 23 is shown as a distinct component, a person skilled in the art will readily understand that the random number generator 23 may be embodied within the processor 21. The server 20 may be provided within the vicinity of the gaming devices 12 or may be provided elsewhere in the gaming establishment and communicate with the gaming devices 12 through a communication link (not shown), as is known. In an alternative embodiment, the gaming device 12 may be self-contained such that the functions of the server, in particular the memory 22 and the random number generator 23, are provided from within the gaming device 12.

The control of a bonus game may be governed by a bonus game controller which may be the processor 21 at the server 20, a dedicated bonus game controller 24 at the server 20, or by a similar processor or bonus game controller within the gaming device 12. The bonus game controller may be a distributed controller such that components of the controller may be provided in the server 20 or gaming device 12 and components of the controller, such as a display driver, may be provided in the display devices of the game display 15 and/or the bonus game display 16.

Each of the gaming devices 12 are configured to operate a game program that allows players to place wagers and play games. The server 20 may store game programs and information, for example in memory 22, which can be downloaded to the gaming devices 12 and gaming devices 12 may transmit information to the server 20. A gaming device 12 may offer a plurality of different games. When a player selects one of the games, the selected game may be downloaded from the server 20 along with game related information, such as pay tables which may also be stored in memory 22. Pay tables are used to determine the outcome of each game and they control the odds of winning a game and the amounts paid out. The gaming devices 12 that form the network 10 may be in one location, such as a casino, or they may be in multiple locations such as an extended casino.

In one example of a typical gaming machine operation, when a player advances a wager and initiates a game, the random number generator 23 generates a random number which is then compared to the pay table to determine the gaming outcome. The display 15 is controlled to create a display, such as a combination of reels, that reflects the game outcome. As is known in the art, certain outcomes on a primary game of the gaming device 12 may trigger entry to a bonus game.

A bonus game controller may control the bonus game display 16 to depict a game board 30 as shown in FIG. 3 on a suitable display device such as a video screen. In the embodiment depicted, the video game board 30 has two portions. A first portion 31 displays a game board used to allocate a number of symbols to a player. A second portion 32 displays a play section of the game board.

In the play section 32, a plurality of symbols are displayed. The symbols include symbols 34 selected from a first set of symbols and symbols 35 selected from a second set of symbols. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the first set of symbols includes musical notes and the second set of symbols include award symbols including fixed credit amounts, credit multipliers and the like.

A method for playing the bonus game is shown in the flowchart 100 of FIG. 4. At step 101 a bonus game outcome is determined, e.g. by the bonus game controller. Symbols from the first symbol set are displayed on the game board (step 102) and symbols from the second symbol set are displayed on the game board (step 103). One or more of the displayed symbols are then moved (step 104) to reflect the bonus game outcome. If the bonus game outcome is a winning outcome, the displayed symbols are moved to create an intersection between a first set symbol and a second set symbol (step 105). An award represented by and dependent on the intersecting symbols is allocated to a player of the bonus game (step 106).

The method 100 of FIG. 4 will be described in more detail by way of example with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5 to 7.

The play section 32 displays a number of credit lines 33 along which credit amounts 34 move. The play section 32 also displays moving symbols 35. The credit amounts and symbols move across the play section 32 in a manner so that intersections between the symbols and credit amounts can be created. Certain intersections between the moving symbols and credit amounts can be categorized as winning events as will be described in greater detail below. Winning events can create bonus game credit awards. A bonus game meter 36 may display various bonus game information including a number of symbols remaining 37 for play on the game board, an intersection award meter 38 that displays an amount won for an intersection 38 and a total bonus meter 39 that displays the total amount won during the bonus game play.

In one embodiment, the symbols are depicted as notes, and the notes may be of different types, e.g. may have different colors, different note values (e.g. quaver, crotchet, minim, etc.) or other indicia that distinguishes the plurality of notes in the available symbol set. In addition, wild card symbols may also be depicted. A wild card symbol may be a specially depicted note symbol, e.g. highlighted by flashing, a special color, a sound effect, or may be a different wild card symbol altogether.

When the bonus game is activated from the primary game, a player may be allocated a number of notes using the note allocator portion 31 of the game board 30. The number of notes may be randomly allocated, paid for by extra credits, or may be determined by the primary game, e.g. less likely winning outcomes in the primary game achieve a higher number of notes. In one embodiment, the note allocator portion 31 may display multiple tiles 41 that each display a different number of notes. One tile 42 may be selected and highlighted briefly before a next tile is highlighted. The player may stop the highlighting process by pressing a button (not shown) on the gaming device 12 or touching a portion of the bonus game display (if a touch screen display is used). Alternatively, the bonus game controller may stop the selecting and highlighting process. When the highlighting process is stopped, either by the player or automatically by the bonus game controller, the currently highlighted tile 42 shows the number of notes that is awarded to the player for the bonus game play. A portion 43 of the note allocator display 31 may display the number of notes that have been won by the player. In addition, the notes remaining meter 37 may be updated with the notes won.

Once the number of notes have been allocated, play may commence on the play section 32 of the game board 30. The notes allocator portion 31 may shrink or disappear, allowing the play portion 32 of the game board 30 to expand. FIG. 5 shows an expanded view of the play section 32 of the game board 30 at an intermediate stage of the bonus game play.

The play portion 32 displays a plurality of credit lines 33 horizontally on the game board. Each credit line 33 also an associated line tally 54 which may be displayed at the end of each credit line 33. The line tallies 54 display an accumulative total of credits earned on the respective line 33 during the bonus game. A total bonus game meter 39 is displayed in the bonus game meter 36 and displays an accumulative total of credits earned on all the credit lines.

When play commences on the play portion 32 of the game board 30, credit amounts 34 and note symbols 35 appear and begin to move.

New credit amounts 34 are visually represented to appear at an appearance edge of the game board and are visually represented to depart the game board from a departure edge. In the example shown, the left edge of the game board is the appearance edge for credit amounts and the right edge of the game board is the departure edge. In the bonus game play state shown in FIG. 5, credit amount 34 has just appeared on the game board and will move along the credit line 33 from left to right as indicated by the arrow 51. The credit amounts are represented as disappearing behind the line tallies 54.

New notes 35 are visually represented to appear at an appearance edge of the game board and are visually represented to depart the game board from a departure edge. In the example shown, the bottom edge of the game board 30 is the appearance edge for notes 35 and the top edge of the game board is the departure edge. That is, note 35 has just appeared on the game board and will move from bottom to top in the direction of arrow 52 as indicated. When a note reaches the departure edge, i.e. the top edge of the game board as shown in FIG. 5, the note is removed from the game board. Visual and/or sound effects may accompany the disappearance of a note from the game board.

The bonus game controller controls whether winning events occur in the bonus game according to probabilistic algorithms. The bonus game controller controls the game display 32 to display an intersection between a credit amount 34 and a note symbol 35 when a winning event occurs. FIG. 6 shows the bonus game play section 32 at a later stage of the bonus game play when an intersection of a credit amount 64 and note symbol 65 occurs. When the winning intersection occurs, the line tally 54 of the respective line is updated, the intersection award meter 38 shows the winning amount (e.g. 20 credits) and the total bonus meter 39 is also updated.

In order that a winning intersection can be correctly perceived by a player, each credit amount and note symbol may have a defined intersection boundary. FIG. 7 shows a credit amount symbol 64 with an intersection boundary 71 displayed in dotted outline around the credit amount. Similarly, note symbol 65 has an intersection boundary 72 shown in dotted outline around the note symbol 35. As shown in FIG. 7, the note symbol boundary 72 is shown wholly within the credit amount boundary 71. Such an intersection may be deemed to be a winning intersection. Other intersections may also be deemed to be winning intersections. For example, any intersection between a note symbol boundary 72 and a credit symbol boundary 71 may be deemed a winning intersection. Alternatively, only an intersection where a required percentage, e.g. 50%, of the note boundary intersects may be considered to be a winning intersection. The person skilled in the art will recognize alternative intersections that may be used to indicate winning intersections and all such intersections are considered to be encompassed herein.

The intersection required to be deemed a winning intersection is preferably selected in a manner that aids the game player to correctly understand and anticipate when a winning intersection is likely to occur, thereby enhancing the player's excitement and enjoyment of the bonus game.

When a winning intersection is made, the note may disappear. Alternatively, the note may continue its travel on the game board so that a single note may make multiple intersections. A note that makes multiple intersections may provide an additional bonus amount, in addition to the credit amounts that it intersects on its travel on the game board. For example, after a first intersection, the note may be provided with a 2× multiplier, so that further intersections made by the note accrue double the amount of the intersected value.

The bonus game controller may control the rate at which notes appear on the game board. For example, the notes may be controlled so that less than a fixed number of notes are displayed on the game board at any time. As a note disappears, either due to an intersection or because the note has fully traversed the game board, a new note may appear at some random or preselected position along the appearance edge of the game board.

Notes may be made to move at the same speed. Alternatively, different notes may move at different speeds. The speed of a note may be randomly allocated or may be dependent on characteristics of the note. For example, notes that can produce high awards may move faster than notes that can produce lower awards. In addition, some notes may be allocated special characteristics. For example, a special note may move diagonally along the game board, may zig zag along the game board, may have a larger intersection boundary, or may have re-bound properties that mean the note can traverse the game board more than once before lapsing.

Each time a new note appears on the game board, the notes remaining tally 37 decreases by one. The bonus game continues until all notes have been played on the game board. At the conclusion of the bonus game, the total bonus game winnings, as indicated in total bonus meter 39, may be added to a player's credits in the primary game of the gaming device 12. The game state can then return to a primary game state in which normal play of primary game is resumed. The bonus game total may be multiplied by the initiating line bet of the primary game, as is known in the art for bonus games.

In one embodiment, winning intersections may be dependent on particular characteristics of the note symbol 35 or a credit amount symbol 34. That is, the note symbols 35 and/or the credit symbols 34 may have a type, such as a color, speed, tone, musical note type (e.g. crotchet, quaver, etc). In one embodiment, both the note symbols 35 and the credit amount symbols 34 are produced in a variety of colors. For an intersection to constitute a winning intersection, the intersection may dependent on the type of the note 35 and/or the type of the credit symbol 34. For example, where the type of the symbols is color, a winning intersection must be between a note symbol and a credit amount symbol of the same color. Other indicia may be used, such as shapes, lights, or other effects, to denote matching elements.

The credit amounts 34 may include fixed credit amounts as well as multipliers. FIG. 5 shows an example of a multiplier credit amount 55, which is indicated as a 2× multiplier. When an intersection occurs with a multiplier amount, the line tally 54 for the respective credit line is multiplied by the multiplier value that has been intersected. In one embodiment, if the line tally is presently zero when the multiplier value is hit, the multiplier award may be the multiplier times the top credit award, e.g. 100 credits.

While the credit lines are displayed horizontally and the notes move vertically in the arrangement depicted in the figures, the person skilled in the art will readily understand that other arrangements are possible. For example the credit lines could be displayed vertically and the notes could move horizontally. Other linearly independent movement arrangements could be provided, for example if the play portion 32 of the game board were provided in a diamond pattern, or in an irregular shape.

The bonus game may indicate or announce any winning intersections, for example by highlighting the intersecting symbols, flashing the intersecting symbols etc. Sound effects may also accompany the highlighting. As the intersections are indicated, the intersection award meter 38 may display a bonus award amount paid for the winning intersection that is being highlighted. Concurrently, tallies in a total bonus award meter 39 may be updated by adding the bonus award amount paid for the intersecting symbols to the accumulative total.

Once an intersection has been indicated, the intersecting symbol and/or the intersecting credit amount may disappear from the game board display. The disappearance of the symbols may be accompanied by various graphic or visual effects. For example, visual effects may depict the symbols to fade, dissolve, spin, zoom, explode, etc. These visual effects may be provided with or without accompanying sound effects.

To enhance the musical theme of the game, in one embodiment a musical accompaniment may be provided. For example, different colored notes may trigger different musical sections to be played for as long as that note is on the game board. In one embodiment, musical accompaniment may play during the bonus game and the movement of the notes and/or the credit amounts may be choreographed to the music that is playing.

As mentioned above, wild card symbols may be used. For example, in one embodiment, a wild card note symbol may form a winning intersection with any credit amount symbol, irrespective of the color or other indicia of the credit amount symbol. In a similar manner, wild card credit symbols may be used that form winning intersections with any note symbol.

While the play portion 32 of the bonus game display 30 shows four credit lines 33, any number of credit lines may be used. In the examples shown, six unique credit amounts are shown, although the set of available credit amounts may include any number of unique credit amount symbols, including fixed amounts and multipliers, which may also be of a variety of colors. Similarly, while only one note symbol is depicted for the moving symbols 35, the set of available moving symbols may include any number of unique symbols, including various note varieties and alternative symbols which may also be displayed in a variety of colors.

In one embodiment, the credit amounts may not be visually represented to traverse the game board. Alternative representations may include maintaining the credit amounts stationary and moving the notes along some random or predetermined path. Any path that the notes move along is preferably predictable so that a player may anticipate a potential win from the trajectory of the note. A further alternative representation of the game board allows either the credit amounts, the notes, or both to toggle between active and inactive states (e.g. by ghosting the relevant display of a credit amount or note). Intersections will only be winning intersections where both the note and the credit amount are displayed as an active state while the intersection occurs.

A specific example of a gaming device incorporating a bonus game as herein described is illustrated in FIG. 8. The gaming device 80 includes a primary game display 81 and bonus game display 82 of a type as herein described. The bonus feature may be initiated in a variety of ways, for example by achieving three particular scattered symbols on the primary game display 81. The player may be prompted to press a flashing button or similar to active the bonus game.

The specific examples and embodiments described herein make particular reference to the intersecting symbol game as a bonus game. However, the person skilled in the art will readily understand that the matching symbol game could be equally applied as a primary game of a gaming device.

Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by any appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given. 

1. A method for playing a game on a gaming device, comprising: (A) allowing a player to place a wager and play a game; (B) randomly determining a game outcome in a game controller; (C) controlling a display with the game controller to indicate the game outcome comprising: (a) displaying at least one first symbol from a first symbol set on a game display; (b) displaying at least one second symbol from a second symbol set on the game display; and (c) depicting movement of at least one of a first symbol of the first symbol set or a second symbol of the second symbol set; (D) awarding a prize to the player that correlates to the game outcome; and (E) wherein, if the game outcome is a winning game outcome, controlling the display to indicate the game outcome comprises depicting movement of at least one of a first symbol of the first symbol set or a second symbol of the second symbol set to create an intersection between the at least one first symbol and the at least one second symbol, wherein the intersection represents an award to be awarded to the player for the winning game outcome.
 2. The method of claim 1 comprising: (A) indicating to the player that the game outcome comprises a plurality of first symbols; (B) depicting movement of the plurality of first symbols on the game display; (C) controlling the depiction of the movement of the plurality of first symbols so that the plurality of first symbols intersect with second symbols in a representation that correlates to the determined game outcome.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein determining the game outcome comprises determining the number of the plurality of first symbols.
 4. The method of claim 3 comprising randomly determining the number of the plurality of first symbols.
 5. The method of claim 3 comprising randomly determining the outcome of each first symbol.
 6. The method of claim 3 comprising randomly determining the outcome of the collective plurality of first symbols.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set of symbols comprises one or more musical note symbols.
 8. The method of claim 1 comprising depicting movement of a first symbol of the first symbol set and a second symbol of the second symbol set.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first symbol and second symbol move linearly independently.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first symbols and the second symbols comprise a type, and wherein an award represented by an intersection is dependent on the type of the intersecting symbols.
 11. A gaming apparatus comprising: (A) a gaming device configured to allow a player to place a wager and play a game of chance; (B) a game display; and (C) a game controller in communication with the gaming device, the game controller programmed to: (a) randomly determine a game outcome; (b) control the game display to display an arrangement of symbols on the game display that represents the game outcome, the arrangement of symbols comprising one or more first symbols from a first symbol set and one or more symbols from a second symbol set; (c) if the game outcome is a winning outcome, control the display to depict movement of the arrangement of symbols to create one or more winning intersections between one or more first symbols and one or more second symbols, the one or more winning intersections representing the winning outcome; and (d) award a prize corresponding to the winning outcome to the player.
 12. The gaming apparatus of claim 11 wherein the game controller is programmed to: (A) determine a number of the first symbols to be displayed on the game display for the game outcome; and (B) indicate the number of the first symbols to the player on the game display.
 13. The gaming apparatus of claim 12 wherein the game controller is programmed to control the depiction of the movement of the first symbols so that the first symbols intersect with second symbols in a manner that correlates to the determined game outcome.
 14. The gaming apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first set of symbols comprises one or more musical note symbols.
 15. The gaming controller of claim 11 wherein the game controller is programmed to control the game display to depict movement of the first symbols and the second symbols.
 16. The gaming controller of claim 15 wherein the game controller is programmed to control the game display to depict linearly independent movement of the first symbols and the second symbols.
 17. A gaming apparatus comprising: (A) means for allowing a player to place a wager and play a game; (B) means for randomly determining a game outcome; (C) means for displaying an intersection of one or more first symbols and one or more second symbols to represent a winning game outcome; and (D) means for awarding a prize to the player that correlates to the winning game outcome.
 18. The gaming apparatus of claim 17 wherein the means for displaying comprises means for depicting movement of the first symbols and the second symbols to create the intersection.
 19. The gaming apparatus of claim 18 wherein the means for depicting movement of the first symbols and the second symbols to create the intersection comprises means for depicting linearly independent movement of the first symbols and the second symbols.
 20. The gaming apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first symbols comprises musical note symbols. 